Gasoline-feeding system



Aug. 11, 1925.

. 1,549,193 J. c. FOX

GASOLINE FEEDING SYSTEM Filed Aug. 12, 1922 I I' l I I I zfasgolzdfbz Patented Aug. ll, 1925.

STATES JOSEPH C. FOX, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

GASOLINE-FEEDING SYSTEM.

Application filed. August 12, 1922. Serial No. 581,429.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH C. Fox, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of the city of Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington,

have invented certain new and useful Tmprovements in Gasoline-Feeding Systems, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of a mechanism designed for supplying gasoline to the carburetor of an internal combustion engine through a local supply tank which is positioned to directly supply the carburetor and to draw the supplies for said local tank from a main storage tank which may be located at any level from which it is possible to readily draw the gasoline by suction.

The object of my invention is to supply a mechanism of this character which may be operated not by the suction of the engine but by the pressure of the exhaust of said engine.

Otherobjects of my invention will be apparent from a study of the drawings and the specification, and will be more particularly defined in the claims.

The accompanying drawings show my invention in a simple type of construction which is designed to illustrate the principles of the invention without showing complicated features of construction.

Figure l is a diagram showing the relative position and connection between the parts of my device.

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the local supply tank and the pump which is used for drawing gasoline from the main supply tank.

Figure 3 shows on a larger scale the mechanism used for controlling the application of the pressure from the engine.

My invention includes as the essential elements thereof a local supply tank positioned to supply gasoline to the carburetor, a pump adapted-to 'draw gasoline from the main storage tank and discharge the same into the local supply tank and the means for controlling the operation of said pump through the application thereto at intervals as required of the exhaust pressure from the engine. As shown in Figure 1 the local supply tank 1 is located above the carburetor of the engine so that the gasoline will flow by gravity to the engine. The pump herein shown as a mercury piston pump, is for convenience shown as located in close conjunction with the local supply tank 1. This is, however, merely done as a matter of convenience and not of necessity. The pump may be located at any suitable point between the local supply tank and the main storage tank 11.

The local supply tank is provided with a gas discharge pipe 12 which conveys the gasoline to the carburetor. It also is or may be provided with an overflow pipe 13 connecting with the upper portion of the tank and leading back to the main storage tank 11. The purpose of this overflow pipe is to compensate for excess capacity which the pump may have.

The pump herein illustrated has a chamher 2 in which is placed a body of liquid of high specific gravity. Mercury as being a liquid of this sort having a very high specific gravity, is used. The supply of mercury would be such as may be all contained in said tank 2 and that portion of the piston chamber 20 which is at the same level. The piston chamber 20 is of much smaller diameter than the main chamber 2. The two are connected by a passage as 21 which is preferably located so that it has its upper surface at one point as low as the bottom of the chamber 2. The upper end of the pump chamber 20 is connected by a pipe as 22 with the upper part of thelocal gasoline tank 1. A check valve 23 is placed in said pipe to prevent back flow of gasoline from the tank 1 to the pump.

The upper part of the pump chamber 20 is also connected as by the pipe 3 to the main storage tank 11. This extends to the bottom of said tank so that the tank may be emptied therethrough. This is also provided with a check valve as which will prevent back flow of gasoline from the pump to the tank 11.

The chamber 2 of the pump mechanism is connected with the exhaust manifold of the engine by means of a pipe l. It is evident that if the exhaust pressure of the engine be applied to the surface of the mercury or other liquid contained in the chamher 2, it will act to force the liquid out of this chamber into the pump piston 20, causing the level of said liquid to be higher in the piston 20 than in the main chamber 2. If, therefore, the pump cylinder 20 be at the beginning at a level corresponding with that of the liquid in the chamber 2, said gasoline will be forced through the pipe 22 over into the local tank 1. If now the exhaust pressure from the engine be neutralized or removed from the surface of the liquid in the tank 2, the liquid will drop in the cylinder and rise in the tank 2. Such liquid being of much heavier specific gravity than gasoline, will cause a suction action upon the pipe 3 connecting the upperend of the cylinder 20 with the storage tank 11, thus drawing gasoline by suction into the cylinder 20 to replacethat which had been forced over into "the tankl. If then the exhaustpressure be restored to its full extent upon the liquid in the chamber2, the

heavy liquid will be forced back into the cylinder 20 and the gasoline which is drawn from the tank 11 will be forced over into the local storage tank 1. To securethis result it is only necessary to provide an automatic means for controlling the operation of the exhaust pressure so that it will be cut down or removed and then restored at suitable intervals. This is done through the mechanism now to be described, orby some other mechanism of: an equivalent character and plan of operation.

The mechanism now to be described is given as a suitablemechanism forthis purpose but not the only one which I amaware may be employed to advantage. Pivoted within the tank 2 is a lever arm. 5, the pivot being at thepoint 50. Secured to. this is a float 51 which if the liquid employed for operating the pump piston is mercury, may be of solid cast iron. This float will rise and fall with the level of mercury in such tank 2; The lever: 5'has. two arms 52 which are positioned so as to engage the rod 6. to swing it. The lower end of rod 6 may have a roller as mounted therein for the pur pose of reducing friction. This. roller 60 bears upon a trackway surface of alever 7 which is pivoted at 71. The traclrway 70.

that it may have a pivotal action may be.

substituted for the socket piece illustrated.

It; is evident that. with the spring 61 acting in the positionillustrated in Figure 3f the end of the lever which. is comiected with the valve will be held down so that the valve isopen, thus. permitting free discharge of the exhaust. gases from the chamber 2. By proper proportioning of the area of this discharge outlet to the area of the pipe 4, the

pressure in the chamber 2 may be reduced as near to atmospheric as is necessary for the purposes desired.

As the float 51 is raised by the rising level of the liquid in the chamber 2, the arm 52 which is at the left hand side in Figure 3 will engage the lower end of the rod 6 or a member carried thereby so as to cause it to move towards the other stop 72 As soon as it has passed the center or the line connecting the pivot 71 with the pivot 63, the spring 61 will cause it to be moved over against the stop 72 at the other end of its travel. This will cause depression of this end of the lever and elevation of the end of the lever which is connected with the valve to thereby close the discharge or relief valve and to thus.

permit or cause the pressure in thechamber 2 to rise to that correspondingwiththe exhaust pressure in the exhaust manifold. This will cause forcing down of the liquid in the chamber 2, the elevation of the same liquid in the cyl inder 20 and the forcing of the gasoline which isabove the mercury over into the local supply tank 1'.

The local supply tank 1 may be provided with an air vent 14; of any suitable char acter. If the capacity of the pump is in excess of the supply called for by the engine, such surplus supply will return through the overflow pipe 18 to the main storage tank. The capacity of the local supply tank 1 Will be made suflicientto care for any demand of;

the engine in starting up and after standing.

What I claim as my invention is: i 1. A gasoline supply system for internal combustion engines comprising a local sup ply tank, a gasoline pump employing a liquid piston and having a supplyconnection with the main source of supply of gasoline and a.-

di'scharge connection with the local supply tank.

2. A gasoline supply system for internal.

combustion engines. comprising a local supply reservoir for the engine, a two-part tank;

containing a high-specific-gravity liquid,

means connecting one part of said tank with the engine exhaust, suction. supply connection from the other part of the. tank. with the main gasoline storage tank and a discharge connection from the same part of the tank to the local supply tank, and means for controlling the action of the engine exhaust upon said two part tank.

' 3. A gasoline supply system for internal.

combustion engines comprising a local supply tank having a gravity feed" to. the carburetor, a mercury piston pump havinga pressure chamber and a stand pipe, aga's'oline supply pipe connecting the upper end of said stand pipe with the gasoline supply,

a. gasoline discharge pipe connecting the stand pipe with the local supply tank, each of saidpipes havinga check valve therein, and means for intermittently applying the exhaust pressure of the engine to the pressure chamber of the pump.

4. A gasoline supply system for internal combustion engines comprising a local supply tank having a gravity feed to the carburetor, a mercury piston pump having a pressure chamber and a stand pipe, a gasoline supply pipe connecting the upper end of said stand pipe with the gasoline supply, a gasoline discharge pipe connecting the stand pipe with the local supply tank, each of said pipes having a check valve therein, means for intermittently applying the exhaust pressure of the engine to the pressure chamber of the pump, and an overflow pipe connecting the local supply tank with the main gasoline storage.

5. A. gasoline supply system for internal combustion engines comprising a local supply tank having a discharge to the carburetor, a mercury piston pump having a pressure chamber and a stand pipe, a gasoline supply pipe connecting with the upper part of the stand pipe and a discharge pipe connecting the stand pipe With the local supply tank, a pipe connecting the engine exhaust with the pressure chamber of the mercury pump, a vent valve for said pressure chamber and a float in the pressure chamber controlling the vent valve.

6. A gasoline supply system for internal combustion engines comprising a local supply tank having a discharge to the carburetor, a mercury piston pump having a pressure chamber and a stand pipe, a gasoline supply pipe connecting with the upper part of the stand pipe and a discharge pipe connecting the stand pipe with the local supply tank, a pipe connecting the engine exhaust with the pressure chamber of the mercury pump, a vent valve for said pres sure chamber, a spring variably acting upon said valve to hold it in either open or closed position When shifted, and a float in the pressure chamber acting to shift the application of the spring upon said valve.

Signed at Seattle, King County, l/Vashington, on this fifth day of August, 1922.

JOSEPH C. FOX. 

